On the Other End of the Line
by NeverWonder
Summary: A series of situations and phone calls between Finn and Rachel when they are broken up. [BASED ON A FINCHEL-PROMPT]


**A/N:** This is a fill for Finchel-Prompts. I'm attempting to do at least one phone call from each episode, starting with "Special Education". The smut (if you can call it that) was hard to write, and I figured that neither of them would be very good at phone sex at this point.

* * *

_i._

_You've reached Rachel Berry's cell phone; leave a message for the future Broadway star!_

It's her voicemail again for the fifth time. He's starting to think she'll never speak to him again. He misses her voice.

"Rach, please pick up; I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, baby. It didn't mean anything. I should've just told you." He pulls in a shaky breath. "Please talk to me. Please, Rachel, just talk to me."

She doesn't call him back, and he's pretty sure he just fucked up his relationship because he was scared of fucking it up. How does that make any sense? They don't talk for most of the week, and they barely make it through sectionals. When she finally calls him, it's too late. Their relationship is over. He's pretty sure that that it's both their faults, but it's easier to just pretend that it's Rachel's fault for making out with Puck.

"You cheated Rachel." He tries not to shout. "We aren't a couple anymore. It's over."

"Finn, please listen to me." He hangs up before he says something that he might regret, and when the phone rings again he doesn't answer.

_This is Finn's phone. You know what to do._

"Finn I'm sorry. I was just angry and upset, and I'm sorry." She knows she's messed things up, but she can't believe it's not fixable. "I need to talk to you."

_ii._

"It's Christmas, Finn. We may not be dating anymore, but we're still captains." She knows she shouldn't beg, but she's missed him so much. "We need a tree. We could boost morale."

After the botched Christmas gift, she's almost desperate to make things right. She knows how much Finn loves Christmas, and he keeps saying things about how great the smell of the trees is. Foolishly, she thinks that Christmas will bring out his better nature, convincing him to forgive her. It doesn't work, and she tries to kiss him even though she knows she shouldn't. It's a disaster. She finds herself standing alone in a tree lot, and she immediately dials Finn's number to snap at him for leaving her alone.

"Why don't you just call Puckerman to pick you up, then you two can make out some more." His words hurt, but the fact that he still can't forgive her hurts more.

"Would it kill you to take me home?" Her heart breaks a little because she's so afraid of his answer. "Never mind, I'll just call Kurt or Tina or something."

She calls Kurt, but he's doing something with the Warblers. And Mercedes is doing something with family. She doesn't have much choice so she calls Tina, who willingly comes to get her. They've established a sort of friendship, and when she arrives, Tina doesn't ask the obvious question. It's nice.

Over the course of the holiday break she calls him six times. He answers twice, and once he simply says to stop calling. She leaves him two voicemails, one that says she's sorry for the millionth time and one that says Merry Christmas. She gets four phone calls from him, and most of the time he hangs up before she can get the word hello out of her mouth. But then on New Year's Eve he calls, and his words are all slurred. She knows he must be very drunk.

"You messed me up, Rachel." He slurs. "Why'd you have to make out with Puck? Why do all my girlfriends go for Puckerman? I must really suck."

"You don't suck, Finn." She tries to remain calm.

"Quinn had sex with Puck. Were you going to have sex with Puck? I bet my girlfriends like Puckerman cause he's good at sex. Santana says I suck at sex."

"Finn—Finn, you're drunk. You need to sober up before you say something you regret." It takes everything for her to say it because in his current state he might say he forgives her, but she knows it wouldn't be real. "I'm hanging up."

_iii._

They haven't talked, really talked, in almost a month. She hates it, but he won't even look at her. She's starting to miss the sound of his voice. Everything is all broken. It's like the entire choir room can feel it. Nothing is working, and even the music is wrong. She's starting to contemplate the idea of making up excuses to talk to him, whether she has to say its glee business or it's something to do with school. She can't take the silence anymore.

Football is a good distraction. Football makes him feel like a winner and makes him forget that Rachel cheated on him. It makes him forget how much life sucks. He almost calls her after she sings that song with Puck. Because she isn't supposed to sing with Puck; she's supposed to sing with him. It's not as easy to forget what she did or how she fell off that pedestal he put her on when she's sing songs with Puck. The football players are being complete assholes now, refusing to join the half time show, and Beiste says they can't play if they don't perform. Now he won't even have a football win to make things better. Everything sucks.

_You've reached Rachel Berry's cell phone; leave a message for the future Broadway star!_

"Are you crazy? You can't play football. Football's dangerous. Some big ass linebacker is going to crush you, and I don't want you to get crushed. I'm mad at you but I don't want you to get crushed."

He realizes that arguing with Rachel is like arguing with a brick wall, but he feels an obligation. If he didn't suck as a leader, then Rachel wouldn't be determined to get the girls killed trying to help. He leaves her three more voicemails telling her not to play, but he knows it's no use. There's a ton of stuff he wants to tell her. Instead he leaves her another voicemail that's mostly him breathing and muttering the words crazy because he doesn't know what to say anymore.

_This is Finn's phone. You know what to do._

"We won! Finny, we won! Wait I'm not supposed to call you that anymore because you hate me." She tries not to sound too disappointed, but it kills her. "Anyway, yay champions! Have fun at that party."

She's starting to go crazy. She calls him even though she knows he won't answer because at least she can hear his voice in his stupid voicemail greeting. She knows he hates her now, and part of her thinks that maybe he's right to hate her. She knew what would hurt him the most and that's what she did. It was vicious. For the first time she feels vicious and mean. He listens to every voicemail she leaves, even though just hearing her voice hurts. He misses the sound of her voice, even though she still talks a lot in glee. He misses the way she talked to him.

_iv._

Kurt tells her to stop calling, and Mercedes says she needs to be strong and independent. Finn hasn't called since the football game, except to tell her about some idea for raising money for the glee club. When he announces that it's a kissing booth the next day, she's positive that he's punishing her. But two can play that game, and she knows that if he kisses her he'll feel it and they'll be ok again. Except he won't give her a real kiss; he gives her this pretty star necklace, and when he hangs it around her neck it feels like it weights a ton.

"Thank you for the necklace; it's very pretty." She tries to keep her voice bright on the phone. "You didn't have to give it to me. You could've gotten your money back. After all, we aren't together anymore, and you've made it very clear that you don't want to be together."

"It was a gift, and I bought it for you. I couldn't take it back. Look, I got a lot of homework tonight. I better go." The urge to call him and tell him that she's seen the way he watches Quinn is overwhelming.

He's big man on campus. All the girls fall all over him, and his kissing booth is a big success. Kurt accuses him of punishing Rachel by making her watch him kiss all the girls in school, which isn't the point. He's a winner. Everyone loves him. It doesn't matter that Rachel cheated because all the cheerleaders want him, even the bitchy ones who used to call him the loser quarterback. But ever since Quinn kissed him he can't stop think it. Maybe there's something still there and that's why he and Rachel didn't work. After all she kissed him. He doesn't care that she's with Sam, which shocks him at first. But then he starts thinking that maybe it doesn't matter. Puck sleeps with his girlfriends and steals them. Everyone still likes Puck. And Puck never gets hurt. He'll just be like Puck.

He convinces Quinn to cheat on Sam, and it sort of backfires. He gets mono, and it's gross. Plus everyone knows that he and Quinn have kissed because she gets it too. He's not sure why Rachel cares, but she's there and she's nice. It sucks. Mono fucks with his brain, and he says stuff without thinking, like telling Rachel that he sees fireworks when he kisses Quinn and then telling her she's beautiful. He wants to tell Rachel what he sees when he kisses her, but he can't come up with words to describe the way the world disappears. She leaves before the words I still love you can finish coming out of his mouth, which is probably a good thing. All weekend he calls her because he's still mono brain fried, and most of the time she just tells him to get some rest. Sometimes he can hear her whisper the word fireworks, and he knows she's been crying.

_You've reached Rachel Berry's cell phone; leave a message for the future Broadway star!_

"Rachel, I got mono. Mono sucks. I wish you could come take care of me like you did last summer when I got sick. But you can't cause you're not my girlfriend anymore. Why'd you cheat on me Rachel? Is it cause I suck at sex or something? I could not suck at sex if I got to practice. Mono sucks."

"Finn, you need to get some rest. You're very sick." She says when she calls him back; she's been crying again, and that sucks too.

_v._

He's now officially Quinn's other guy. If he could get her to dump Sam, he'd really be awesome. Except that he can't stop thinking about Rachel. She ignores him most of the time. He hates that because it makes him feel guilty. Suddenly he sees her everywhere. Everyone is dressing like her, and it drives him crazy. He can't concentrate on stealing Quinn because he keeps seeing Rachel. Plus Sam is doing this stupid Bieber thing, and all the girls seem to go crazy for it.

"Hey, I was wondering if you did Mr. Schue's Spanish homework." She's not even in Spanish with him, but he needs an excuse to hear her voice. "How come everyone dressed like you today? It was weird. And how come you liked Evans' Bieber thing? Bieber sucks."

"Finn, you know I'm not even taking Spanish. Call Puck or something." She sounds actually angry. "I happened to appreciate Sam's tribute to Justin Bieber; he's very talented."

"Yeah, but Bieber sucks." It bothers him to hear her talk about someone else being talented. "Puck never does his homework, and I need help."

"Call Santana," her reply is too sharp, and he winces over the phone even after she hangs up.

She thinks they should do original songs because while "Sing" is very good they need to be even better. No one supports her, not even Finn. Staring around the room, she's not surprised. Everyone hates her. Santana was right. They all just pretend to like her. Finn calls her name as she's leaving, and he tells her the idea was great. Maybe writing an original song is the best way to get a piece of her own back and not getting Brittany to dress like her.

_This is Finn's phone. You know what to do._

"Finn, while I appreciate your support in the hall, it would have been nice to actual receive support in public. I could have used my co-captain."

_vi._

Puck wants her to throw a party while her fathers are out of town, but she says no. She's a good girl, even if she's a cheater. She'd rather not betray her fathers' trust. But then she gets Finn to listen to her first attempt at an original song, and it sucks. Hugging him is a mistake because it reminds her how much she misses him. When he says she needs life experience to inspire her song, she realizes that he's right, and she immediately calls Puck to tell him she'll throw the party.

Telling Rachel she needed life experience might have been one of the dumbest things he's ever done. Well except lying about sex with Santana. Because now Rachel has downed like four wine coolers, and she's attached to his arm. She's a needy girl drunk, but at least she's not angry like Quinn, who keeps chasing Puck around yelling at him. Rachel shouts something about Spin the Bottle and the next thing he knows she lip locked with Blaine and he's fight off the urge to punch the guy in the face. He's not supposed to be jealous because he's not with Quinn anymore, but he can't help it.

"Finny! I've got a date with Blaine Warbler. We're gonna kiss again." She's drunk again when she calls him. "We're gonna kiss and duet, and then maybe we'll have perfect little Eurasian talented babies. I'm gonna date Blaine Warbler."

"Rach, are you drunk?" She giggles, and he suppresses the urge to find Kurt's buddy Blaine and kick him in the nuts. "Rachel, I think you've had enough to drink for a long time."

"Don't be jealous, Finny! You may not want me anymore, but Blaine might. I want to be wanted. He doesn't even care if I'm not super hot like Santana." He wants her, but he doesn't want to tell her that. "You don't get to be jealous."

He throws himself on the bed when she hangs up, and immediately he misses her voice. She's cute when she's drunk, but he can't help but worry that she'll do something stupid. His phone rings, and he dives on it, hoping she's called back to say she wasn't going out with Blaine. But it's Quinn. He's got a date with her next weekend. Maybe dating Quinn will make him stop missing Rachel's voice. Maybe Quinn will let him touch her boobs and her ass, and he'll forget Rachel's body.

_You've reached Rachel Berry's cell phone; leave a message for the future Broadway star!_

But he doesn't leave a message. He just listens to her soft voice and hangs up. Later that night his phone rings and Rachel's on the other end of the line. He knows he shouldn't answer, especially since he's hiding in his room drinking because his mom and Burt are gone and Kurt's out with the Warblers.

"Finny, do you really think I'm pretty?" She's giggling, and he wonders if she's drunk or something. "Am I really beautiful?"

"You're one of the most beautiful girls I know." He reassures her, and there's a soft sigh on the other end of the line. "You ok, Rachel?"

"I'm fine, Finny. I feel great." She's definitely drunk, and he knows he should hang up. "Am I sexy? Am I sexy like Santana? I bet I could be."

"You are sexy." It's the fourth beer talking, but the sultry tone in her voice keeps him from doing the smart thing. "You're always sexy."

"Did you want to have sex with me? When we were dating did you wanna have sex with me?" She's almost purring, and suddenly his pants are tighter. "I thought about it a lot."

"You thought about what?" He let his hand slide down to cup himself through his boxers.

"Sex—having sex with you, Finny." She giggles, and then suddenly there's a moan. "I touched myself sometimes, thinking about it."

"Are you—are you doing that now?" She moans in response, and he has to actually touch himself. "Damn, Rach. You can't—you can't do this."

"Do what?" She murmurs, her hand slipping between her thighs to find the damp fabric of her panties. "So good, Finn."

"This—calling me and saying this. We can't do this." But his body betrays him, and he has to do something to relieve the tension. "What are you wearing?"

"Just a t-shirt and panties." She moans softly, and then he hears the rustle of fabric. "Now just my panties."

"Are you—are you touching yourself?" Her answer is a whimper, and he palms his straining erection. "Tell me what you're doing?"

"Rubbing my nipples—feels so good, and my—my p-pussy through my panties. I'm so wet, Finny." He doesn't stop to wonder when she started talking like that; instead he wraps his hand around his length and strokes in rhythm with her heavy breathing.

"What are you thinking about?" She lets out this little mewling moan, and it sends a shudder through him. "Are you thinking about my fingers when I used to touch you? Imagining my tongue or maybe my dick? Thinking about me fucking you."

"Yes—oh, yes Finn. I wish we'd—oh god," her words are broken by gasps as her fingers slip past her panties and stroke bare flesh. "Mmm, Finny—so good, so, so good."

"Fuck yourself with your fingers, baby. I wanna hear you moan my name while you cum." He barely gets the words out because he's on the edge. "Pretend it's me. Come on, Rach, let go."

Suddenly on the other end of the line he hears her let out a sharp cry as she pinches her clit; he knows she's unraveling, and it takes everything he's got not to explode. She dissolves into broken whispers, whimpering and begging for him and moaning his name as she comes, and he loses control, his hand moving hard and fast he thrusts his hips forward, imagining that it's her. When it's over, she whispers his name again, and then the phone call suddenly ends. He wishes it hadn't happened because now he feels guilty. She feels guilty too—and embarrassed. Neither of them speaks about it or brings it up. It's best to pretend it never happened.

_vii._

He's dating Quinn, but he won't tell Rachel. He won't even touch Quinn in public. She's getting kind of pissed. He cares too much about Rachel to let her get hurt when she finds out. Rachel calls him twice to talk about glee stuff, and he calls her once to ask her if she'll help him with his algebra homework. She tells him no. He remembers how homework sessions turned into make out sessions when they were together, and he has to shake the thoughts from his head before Quinn finds out that he's thinking about her again.

_You've reached Rachel Berry's cell phone; leave a message for the future Broadway star!_

"Rachel, don't ignore this message. I really need help with algebra. Mike's busy with Tina, and Artie's trying to tutor Puck. I need help."

"I'm not meeting you for a study session." Her voice is really cold when she calls back. "I'll help you over the phone, but we are not getting together."

"Come on, Rach—"

"Don't call me that, Finn. It's better if we don't meet up, ok?"

He wants to hang up, but he needs an excuse to talk to her. She's been avoiding him all together most of the time. The conversation is awkward, and doing homework is less fun when she's all no-nonsense about it. Quinn won't help him with his homework, and she makes him feel stupid when he asks her. Rachel doesn't, but he feels guilty even talking to her these days. He doesn't want to give her false hope. Later, when he's on Quinn's bed, he catches himself dreaming of Rachel for the millionth time. He wakes up with a start, surprised to see Quinn instead of Rachel there next to him. He hides it, and Quinn seems to promise sex if they win prom royalty. He wonders why he's not excited by the idea.

She swears off boys, especially Finn, but she can't keep him off her mind. She keeps seeing the way Quinn looks at him, the way she used to when they were dating. And Finn always gives Quinn that half smile, the one that makes Rachel's knees grow weak. She misses him more and more each day. She tries to avoid him, and she only answers the phone when she's lonely. But when she sees the hickey on Quinn's neck, her heart drops like a stone. She knows the difference between a hickey and a curling iron burn. Finn used to leave them on her neck sometimes.

_This is Finn's phone. You know what to do._

"Are you dating Quinn?" The question leaves her lips before she can stop it, and she quickly erases the message.

She throws herself onto the bed and bursts into tears. She knows he's probably with her right that moment, and it breaks her heart.

_viii._

Her second original song sucks only a little less than her first, and Finn suggests that she find a place of real pain. She knows pain. She knows that he's chosen Quinn over her again. She knows what it's like to hurt. When Quinn offers to help her with her song, she's surprised, but her desperate hope that maybe they can be friends over shadows the knowledge that Quinn never means her friendship. Temptation wins, and she asks a question she already knows the answer to. Quinn's answer only confirms her suspicions. Her heart shatters, but somehow she can't bring herself to give up on what she worked so hard to win. She loves Finn. She loves him too much to let go and lose him. Someday she'll get it right. She goes home and cries again.

_This is Finn's phone. You know what to do._

"You could've have been honest with me." When he hears the voicemail, he can hear the tears in her voice. "You could've told me the truth."

Quinn must've told her, and it pisses him off. He specifically asked her not to because Rachel's so fragile right now. He didn't want her to get hurt. Quinn's pissed that he cares so much, and she declares that now that they are in the open they can campaign for prom. He couldn't care less about the stupid dance. But it's a big deal to Quinn, and she's been scary lately. When he hears Rachel's song for the first time it's perfect, and when she sings it on stage it cuts through him like a knife. She turns to look at him, and he knows. She's singing to him, about him, and he wishes she wouldn't.

_You've reached Rachel Berry's cell phone; leave a message for the future Broadway star!_

"The song was great, Rachel. You should be really proud. I'm really proud." He knows he shouldn't call her at all.

_iix._

Things are really crazy, and the glee club really needs the captains to work together. They need money for nationals, and the decathlon people need money for their team. They're supposed to be selling taffy, and that's not going to be enough, even with the money he raised. Miss Holiday suggests a benefit, but he doesn't even know where to start. It makes Quinn mad, but he decides that he really needs to call Rachel.

"Talk to Quinn, Finn. She's supposed to be your partner now." He knows it's a dig at him for going back to Quinn and for lying about it.

"We're co-captains, Rachel. We're supposed to work together for team morale or whatever." She lets out a sigh.

"Quinn won't like it." She hangs up, and he dials her phone again.

_You've reached Rachel Berry's cell phone; leave a message for the future Broadway star!_

He doesn't leave a voicemail for her.

Mercedes is acting like a crazy person. Everyone talks about how she's a diva and how she's out of control, but Mercedes has been utterly ridiculous. She's demanding all sorts of silly things, and Lauren is making it worse. Rachel bites her tongue and keeps her mouth shut because no one listens to her anyway. If she had the closing number, she wouldn't act this way. When Finn comes striding up to her locker with Quinn hanging on his arm she wants to throw something. The stupid smile on Quinn's face makes her sick. Every time she sees them together a part of her breaks a little more. But she agrees to help them. After all, she wants to be a team player. She manages Mercedes pretty well, and when they need her to go get the out of control diva and convince her to perform she hurries outside.

"Finn, tell them to get set up for Mercedes' number. We'll be there in a moment." She sighs tiredly.

"Thanks babe," the words slip out without him meaning them to, and he wishes he could take them back.

"Just be ready." She hangs up before Mercedes sees her cry or Finn hears the way her voice is shaking; why did he have to call her babe?

_ix_.

Her nose is broken. It's definitely broken. The doctor says that she'll be fine, but that she has a deviated septum. He offers to fix it and suggests a nose job while they're working. Finn's standing next to her, his eyes wide and apologetic; neither of them can believe that the doctor has mentioned a nose job. She's never considered it before, always relying on her belief that like Barbra her talent would overcome her nontraditional appearance. But when she glances across the room at Finn, the image of him kissing Quinn flashes through her mind, and she wonders if maybe a nose job would make her pretty enough to forgive.

_You've reached Rachel Berry's cell phone; leave a message for the future Broadway star!_

"Rachel, I'm sorry about your nose. That doctor is a dumbass. Your nose is perfect." It worries him that she doesn't answer and that Quinn says she's going to the doctor. "Don't change anything."

He's so pissed at Quinn. She's actually encouraging Rachel's idea of changing her nose. The picture she shows them is terrible and wrong. It doesn't look like her at all. He listens to her sing with Quinn about feeling unpretty, whatever that means, and he wonders if maybe he did that to her. Maybe that was why she got so upset about Santana. Did he really make her feel so unattractive? Did he really let her feel like she wasn't pretty? Before he knows what he's doing he's practically begging her not to do this and telling her that she's beautiful. Quinn glares at him, but he doesn't care.

She decides not to get her nose fixed because Kurt and Puck are right. It's her nose, and it makes her who she is. Barbra didn't need a nose job to be successful, and neither does she. Quinn can keep her perfect nose. Finn seems happy too. She knows she shouldn't care what Finn thinks, but she's glad he didn't want her to change. It gives her hope.

_This is Finn's phone. You know what to do._

"Thank you." She only says two words and then hangs up, hoping Quinn won't be angry about it.

_x._

Quinn's cheating on Finn. She's almost positive. And everyone has been whispering about it. There's no reason for her visits to hotels with Sam. She isn't surprised though because Quinn's done it before. Finn doesn't believe it, and she feels guilty that it almost makes her happy that Finn's relationship with Quinn might be over soon. Finn will be heartbroken if it's true. She doesn't want him to be hurt again, even if it meant that she might get him back again.

_This is Finn's phone. You know what to do._

"Finn, we need to talk," she tries not to sound too happy when she leaves the message, especially knowing that he's with Quinn at the moment. "I think we should stake out that hotel, just to be sure."

Quinn wouldn't cheat on him. She just wouldn't. This time they were going to get it right. So why did he think Rachel's idea was so good? He's beginning to think it's just because he misses all the time they used to spend together. Rachel's still open and honest, but Quinn's all closed off and hidden. He never quite knows where he stands, and he still doesn't trust her fully. So he sits there, watching for the second night in a row, and this time he sees what he kept hoping he wasn't going to see. When Quinn comes striding out of that room and hugs Sam, he feels a piece of him die. She's cheating again.

Finn doesn't trust Quinn, and she doesn't understand why he stays with her. He forgave Quinn, but he can't forgive her. It doesn't make sense. She sits and watches them argue, and the argument turns into a duet. It isn't terrible, even though she sort of wishes it was. Perhaps she's biased, but she prefers his voice when he's singing with her and not Quinn. Before she can stop herself she says what's she's thinking outside, and Quinn gets really angry. She hadn't expected the ultimatum, and her voice joins the rest of the club members when they gasp. But it's the look on Finn's face that really catches her off guard when Quinn tells him that he can't sing with her anymore.

_You've reached Rachel Berry's cell phone; leave a message for the future Broadway star!_

"I want to help you with your Rumors song. I don't care what Quinn says." He's suddenly pissed that Quinn still thinks she can order him around. "I won't sing. I'll just play the drums, and you can sing."

The look on Quinn's face when Rachel starts singing 'Go Your Own Way' is scary. She looks really pissed, and it should make him feel a little guilty. But instead he enjoys it, maybe a bit too much. He's missed playing for Rachel, and he's missed the way she fills a room with her voice. Everyone is singing along, and suddenly things seem right. He could listen to her sing forever.

Later they find out why people were meeting Sam at a hotel room, and everyone feels terrible. Finn feels a massive wave of guilt. He and Rachel exchange meaningful glances. For the briefest moment it feels like it did when they were still together. Rachel bites her lip and hurries out of the room.

_This is Finn's phone. You know what to do._

"We need to do something for Sam. He's a member of our team, and he needs our help." Her voice is soft and sad.

_xi._

He can't believe St. Jackass is back in town. It makes everything so much worse. He's under so much pressure from Quinn to be perfect, and he just knows he'll screw it up. He calls Rachel six times in a single week, each with an excuse like needing to talk to her about glee or needing help with homework. Sometimes she answers, but she never talks long. He knows how much she's hurting, even if she hides her tears. It's all his fault.

_You've reached Rachel Berry's cell phone; leave a message for the future Broadway star!_

"You can't seriously be going to prom with him, not after what he did to you." He knows it's none of his business, but he can't help it. "He's an ass, Rachel, and I hate to see you hurt again."

"Stop it, Finn. You have no right to tell me what to do or who to see. You _aren't_ my boyfriend." She calls back not five minutes later, angry again. "Maybe Jesse has changed. If you can forgive _her_, then I can forgive him."

"Rachel—" But she sounds like she's about to cry again, and he can't stand to be the one making her cry again. "Sorry."

"I've respected your choices, no matter how much they hurt; you need to respect mine." She hangs up before he can say anything else and throws herself on the bed. The tears flow freely for the second time in three days, and she can no longer tell whether they are out of hurt or anger. When her fathers knock on the door, she doesn't answer.

She's excited for prom. Going as a group with Mercedes, Sam, and Jesse is a great idea, and even her fifteen dollar dress is pretty. She tries not to let the fact that Quinn is hanging off Finn's arm or that Finn is acting like a jealous boyfriend spoil her evening. When it's her turn to sing she's on stage alone, the heat of the spotlight washing over her. He watches her over Quinn's shoulder, and every time he looks at her she feels her knees turn to liquid. It takes everything she has not to burst into tears. For a moment she thinks she sees him begin to crumble, as if he realizes what she's saying with her song.

Blaine is singing this song about teaching a boyfriend how to dance, and everyone is moving too fast to pay attention to those around them. His eyes are glued on Rachel, and he doesn't hold back when he catches sight of St. Jackass with his lips on Rachel's neck. All hell breaks loose, and he finds himself facing an angry Quinn as he's kicked out of prom.

_This is Finn's phone. You know what to do._

"Sorry I tried to punch your date, but he had his lips on your neck. Nobody but me's supposed to kiss your neck." He deletes the message almost immediately and hangs up the phone.

_xii._

"Finn, you need to stop this. Quinn is already angry about what happened last week at prom, and she'll just be angrier if she finds out you're calling me. Get Mike or Artie to help you with your History assignment." He can tell she's been crying again. "I've got a lot of work to do."

"Rachel, I—look I need help and you're the only person I know who's really good at this stuff." She doesn't want to talk about Plato's theory of soul mates, not now and not with Finn. "Just give me the quick rundown, and I'll leave you alone."

"Fine, it works like this. Once humans had four arms, four legs, and two heads, but the gods feared their power. So Zeus sent down his lightning bolt and split man in half, giving him two arms, two legs, one head and half a soul. Now they are forced to wander the world incomplete, looking for the person who has the other half of their soul. It keeps them distracted so that they cannot over throw the gods." He's silent on the other end of the line because he can't help thinking about who his soul mate might be. "Do you understand it now?"

"I think we should sing a duet at Nationals." He blurts it out, and Rachel goes silent. "Think about it, ok?"

It's been a long week already. Jesse keeps following her around, acting as if she is going to start dating him again, and she's got this solo competition to win. At least she has the perfect song. She's still angry with Jesse for insulting Finn, but she's learned that she's not supposed to defend him in public because it only makes Quinn angry and everyone think she's crazy. She's also angry at Finn for giving up on himself. She's so proud of Finn when he stands up with Kurt and says they are going to plan Jean Sylvester's funeral, but she can't say anything about that either.

As they are sitting there, listening to Mr. Schue read Coach Sylvester's words, it dawns on him. There's only one person he feels tethered to, and it isn't Quinn. It's funny in a sad sort of way because he's pretty sure Quinn doesn't feel that way about him either. His eyes find Rachel, and she's crying. The urge to rush over to her and wrap her in his arms and make her feel better is overwhelming. He wonders who she feels tethered to. Secretly he hopes it's him because he realizes that he's tethered to her. He's an asshole for letting it go this far.

_This is Finn's phone. You know what to do._

"I'm tethered to you." But she erases the message and hangs up the phone; it doesn't matter that she loves him because he's with Quinn.

Jesse pulls her aside to tell her that she's won the competition, but all the things he says make her victory hollow. She doesn't want to be alone or hated. It's not worth being lonely and sad. When he kisses her she can't kiss back because it doesn't feel right. All she can imagine is a picnic in that very spot, Finn laying over her and kissing her for the first time. Jesse kissing her there is a violation, and she wants to turn and run the other direction.

_You've reached Rachel Berry's cell phone; leave a message for the future Broadway star!_

"I saw you kissing him. I guess that means that we haven't got a shot. Don't kiss him anymore, please. I don't want anyone but me kissing you." He quickly erases the message and leaves another shorter one in its place. "Quinn and I are over. I broke up with her."

She listens to the message over and over, and she wishes that she didn't feel so conflicted.

_xiii._

She says she's swearing off boys, but she's said that before. Mostly she's let Kurt write her future for her. He says she has to choose. She thinks she's chosen her career. So why does it hurt so much to refuse to take a chance of Finn? He takes her on this romantic date, and it's amazing and beautiful. It really is a dream come true. But when he tries to kiss her she runs away.

_You've reached Rachel Berry's cell phone; leave a message for the future Broadway star!_

"I don't want to pretend anymore."

For the first time ever he doesn't have any trouble writing. The words pour out onto his paper, and when he's done he rushes it to Mr. Schue. It's a duet because Rachel hears him best when he's singing. He really needs her to hear him now. He practically begs for her, and she still turns him down, which makes the song all the more important. By the time they sing the last bar he can see it in her eyes. She gets it now. They kiss. They lose nationals, but it doesn't matter because they kiss. Everyone hates them, but he doesn't care at the moment because he kissed her and she kissed him back. The flight home is hell, but she sits next to him on the plain, leaned against his arm, and they kiss most of the way back.

"Where are you? We have glee club," her voice is soft, and he's glad to hear it again.

"Hiding."

"Where are you hiding?" The fact that she's looking for him tells him that everything will be alright.

"Library." She comes to find him, and they don't make promises; she simply sits next to him and talks, but the talking means hope.


End file.
